1. Chapter 16 Narrative Research Gay, Mills, and Airasian
Educational Research
Chapter 16
Narrative Research
Gay, Mills, and Airasian

2. Topics Discussed in this Chapter
The definition and purpose of narrative research
The narrative research process
The types of narrative research
Key characteristics of narrative research designs
Narrative research data collection techniques

3. Definition and Purpose
Narrative research
Definition
The description of the lives of individuals, the collection of individuals’ stories of their experiences, and a discussion of the meaning of those experiences
Purpose
An attempt to increase understanding of central issues related to teaching and learning through the telling and retelling of participants’ stories
Objectives 1.1 and 1.2

4. Definition and Purpose
Narrative research
Reasons for its popularity
The increased emphasis on teacher reflection, teacher research, action research, and self-study
The increased emphasis placed on teacher knowledge, professional development, and decision-making
The increased emphasis on empowering teacher voices in the educational research process through collaborative educational research efforts
Objective 1.3

5. The Narrative Research Process
Eight basic steps
Identify the purpose of the study and identify the phenomenon being explored
Select an individual in order to learn about the phenomenon
Pose initial narrative research questions
Describe the researcher’s role
Entry into the research site
Reciprocity
Ethics
Objective 2.1

6. The Narrative Research Process
Eight basic steps (continued)
Describe the data collection methods with particular attention to active interviewing
Describe appropriate strategies for the analysis and interpretation of data
Collaborate with the participant to construct the narrative and to validate the accuracy of the story
Complete the writing of the narrative account
Objective 2.1

7. The Narrative Research Process
Similarity to the steps discussed for all other research designs
An interactive, personal, collaborative process characterized by a caring, trusting relationship between the researcher and participant
The researcher’s intent is to empower the participant to tell his or her story
The participant must have equal voice in the relationship
The researcher must actively listen to the participant’s story before contributing his or her own perspective
Objectives 2.2 and 2.3

8. Types of Narrative Research
Autobiographies
Biographies
Life Writing
Personal Accounts
Personal Narratives
Narrative Interviews
Personal Documents
Documents of Life
Life Stories and Histories
Ethnohistories
Ethnobiographies
Autoethnographies
Ethnopsychologies
Person-centered Ethnographies
Popular Memories
Objective 3.1

9. Types of Narrative Research
Five characteristics on which the type of narrative research is categorized
Who authors the account
The researcher, the participant, or both
The scope of the narrative
An entire life or a single episode
Who provides the “story”
Teachers, students, parents, friends, etc.
Objective 3.2

10. Types of Narrative Research
Five characteristics (continued)
The theoretical and/or conceptual framework that has influenced the study
For example, critical or feminist theory
Whether or not all of these elements are included in the one narrative
The influence of the disciplines in which each of these characteristics are embedded
Objective 3.2

11. Characteristics of Narrative Research
Six key characteristics
Focus on the experiences of individuals
Concerned with the chronology of an individual’s experiences
Focus on the construction of life stories based on data collected through active interviews
Active interviewing emphasizes the collaborative construction of the story
Objective 4.1

12. Characteristics of Narrative Research
Six key characteristics (continued)
Uses restorying as a technique for constructing the narrative account
Incorporates context and place in the story
Reflects a collaborative approach that involves the researcher and the participant in the negotiation of the final text
Objective 4.1

13. Characteristics of Narrative Research
Sources of data
Participant’s recollections of events or experiences
Secondary sources such as the participant’s journal entries, artifacts, etc.
The nature of these sources implies the researcher must interact at a very personal level with the participant to collect data
The need for a relationship based on trust, caring, respect, and equality to facilitate collecting data as well as analyzing and interpreting it
Objective 4.2

14. Narrative Research Techniques
Empirical data is central to narrative research
The interpretive nature of narrative research presents concerns for credibility of the study
Implies the use of multiple data sources, triangulation, and collaborative negotiation of the written account
Objective 5.1

15. Narrative Research Techniques
Six data collection techniques
Restorying
Oral history
Memorabilia
Story telling
Letter writing
Autobiographical and biographical writing
Objective 5.2

16. Narrative Research Techniques
Two perspectives on data collection, analysis, and interpretation
Narrative analysis
The kind of narrative that is constructed by the researcher who has collected descriptions of events through interviews and observations and synthesized them into stories or narratives
The story is the outcome
Analysis of narratives
The process whereby the researcher collects stories as data and analyzes them into a set of themes that hold across all of the stories
The themes are the outcomes
The text focuses on the first of these perspectives
Objective 5.3

17. Narrative Research Techniques
Restorying
The process in which the researcher gathers stories; analyzes them for key elements of the story such as the time, place, or plot; and rewrites the story to place it in a chronological sequence
Four stages
The researcher conducts the interview and transcribes the data
The researcher re-transcribes the data based on the key elements that are identified in the story
The researcher organizes the story chronologically
The participant is asked to collaborate with the researcher to write the final “restoried” narrative.
A major advantage is that the restoried account is likely to represent the individual’s lived experiences
Objective 5.4

18. Narrative Research Techniques
Oral history
A method for collecting data from participants by asking them to share their experiences
Two ways to develop oral histories
Interviews using structured or unstructured protocols
Annals and chronicles
The participant constructs a timeline and divides it into segments of significant events or memories
Objective 5.5

19. Narrative Research Techniques
Memorabilia
Photos, personal objects, newspaper articles, artifacts, etc.
Such memorabilia can be used by the researcher as prompts to elicit details about the participant’s life
Story telling
Telling stories should become a normative part of the data collection process
The use of many stories can provide researchers with many opportunities to add to their understanding of the participant’s experiences
Objectives 5.6 and 5.7

20. Narrative Research Techniques
Letter writing
Engaging the researcher and participant in a dialogue
Facilitated by the use of
Provides valuable insights into the evolving, tentative interpretations the participant is considering
Allows the researcher and participant to reflect on the evolution of the themes
Objective 5.8

21. Narrative Research Techniques
Autobiographical and biographical writing
Engaging the participants in writing about their perceptions of their experiences
Has the potential to broaden the researcher’s understanding of past events and experiences that have impacted the participant’s experiences
Other narrative data sources
Documents such as lesson plans, newsletters, etc.
Teaching portfolios
Personal philosophies
Objective 5.9

22. Narrative Research Techniques
Writing the narrative
The final step in the narrative research process
The data collected throughout the study finds its way into the final written account
The collaboration between the researcher and participant becomes critical at this point
Objective 5.10